Builder in Mclean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at Yeonas Custom if you have the budget.

Or Capitol City builders. They're smaller, but do really nice work. Just stay away from NDI and Focal Point, complete garbage.

Do you know if they are mid-range builder or more toward to high-end? I saw the house built by Capital City on Kirby which was nice house. What is their avg. construction cost?

High end if they buy the property and build to sell. But I know the owner, and I think he'll work within your budget if you have the lot. I know he occasionally will do remodels, so I suspect he may be willing to discuss. Great guy.

Worth calling and talking to them. He also lives in McLean, so he's not going to put crap into his own backyard.

[Anonymous]

High end Virginia builders:

http://www.sagatov.com/
http://www.mandacustomhomes.com/
http://www.associatedcustombuilders.com/
http://www.gulickgroup.com/communities/reserve-at-mclean.html
http://greatfallsconstruction.com/
http://bowa.com/

[Anonymous]

http://www.gibsonbuilders.com/ and http://www.sandyspringbuilders.com/ are the best custom home builders in this area.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you have a lot in McLean? If not, get a lot first. In the meantime, or if you have a lot, look around in the McLean neighborhoods (or Vienna or anywhere else you are willing to travel) to see if you can find any houses that you like from the outside. Ask the owners who the builder is and then interview these builders.

Prepare a house spec list (to be as detailed as possible) so that you can compare apples to apples when the builders submit a proposal or estimate to you. You will find out that many not interested or semi-interested builders will not respond to your request.

When you are down to a few builders who are the final candidates, then make a decision or come to ask questions about their reputation and do reference checks.

A warning about custom homes... Anything custom is likely to contain more "bugs" than a standard plan since the likely bugs for an existing plan were worked out during previous iterations.

In this area, builders are generally general contractors. Thus, it is quite important to interview the project manager (or foreman) for your house. If you have a decent project manager, then it will save you a lot of money and headaches. To some extent, an experienced project manager is more important than who the builder is. Construction crew will make mistakes, and how to spot the problems and how to fix them is super crucial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you have a lot in McLean? If not, get a lot first. In the meantime, or if you have a lot, look around in the McLean neighborhoods (or Vienna or anywhere else you are willing to travel) to see if you can find any houses that you like from the outside. Ask the owners who the builder is and then interview these builders.

Prepare a house spec list (to be as detailed as possible) so that you can compare apples to apples when the builders submit a proposal or estimate to you. You will find out that many not interested or semi-interested builders will not respond to your request.

When you are down to a few builders who are the final candidates, then make a decision or come to ask questions about their reputation and do reference checks.

A warning about custom homes... Anything custom is likely to contain more "bugs" than a standard plan since the likely bugs for an existing plan were worked out during previous iterations.

In this area, builders are generally general contractors. Thus, it is quite important to interview the project manager (or foreman) for your house. If you have a decent project manager, then it will save you a lot of money and headaches. To some extent, an experienced project manager is more important than who the builder is. Construction crew will make mistakes, and how to spot the problems and how to fix them is super crucial.

Thank you very much! It is very helpful information!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had good experiences with NDI. You do need lots of upgrades from their basic model though.

You build with NDI in Pimmit Hills, not McLean, unless you're on a shoestring budget.

Newsflash: there are tons of NDI in McLean. Most people ARE on a shoestring budget. It's not just Saudi princes, you know.

I can't see why anyone who pays a minimum of $700K for a 1/4 acre lot in McLean putting up a $500K NDI or Classic Home box.... You will never
get you initial investment back....especially in the expensive locales.

Most people who custom build will at least have a $1m minimum construction budget for a lot aquisiton price of $700K. Been there..done that.

a 800k lot + 400k NDI home can sell for 1.5-1.6 easily and they sell instantly

a 800k lot + 800k home can sell for 2.5 but it's gonna sit there for a long time and will run you another 200-300k capital cost

If you build 800k lot + 400k with NDI, there is no way you can sell 1.5-1.6m even in McLean. A 400k NDI house even without site work cost consideration (which is close to 100k) is a very very basic house.

NDI can build you a shell for 200k, plus another 200k in reno, which is already better than most of the 1.4-1.6 dated home you see on the market

Just curious...do you work for NDI?

no, i dont, im just telling you guys the real cost of construction
ive built many houses with no name korean/chinese builders in the area
when you pay 100k+ for lot prep and 800k+ for construction
the real cost is probably only 30k+ for lot prep and 500k tops for construction, everyone out there, from NDI to w/e high-end builders your thinking of, are ripping you big time

What is your suggestion? Do you prefer to go with high-end builders or lower-end builders? Are the most of materials from China? Besides NDI, which builder you know is good with price and quality?

I built my home with a well known middle-of-the-road affordable builder. I would caution against doing what the PP has done unless you've done it before. He has built many homes and is familiar with the process and the associated costs. Unless you are experienced at doing something, let the experienced people handle it. Builders like NDI offer a competitive price - if their profit margins are abnormal, they would not be competitive on price. Remember, these are businesses that are run to make money, don't be upset that people are making money off of you.

Direct answers to your question: high-end vs lower-end is depended on the buyer. Are you looking to pay $100/sqft, $150/sqft, or over $200/sqft. In my experience, the higher end builders charging over $200/sqft earn better margins, but they work more, take on more risk, and the homes are more unique in design. Some of the building materials can be from China, but it would be very specific, like the granite is likely originally sourced from China, but polished, and cut by a local shop for installation. The hardwood floors could also be from China. Of course many of the fixtures could be. But the framing lumber, brick/stone, concrete, trusses, floor boards, drywall, wiring, plumbing, AC, etc, are most likely not from China.

Thanks! It is very helpful. Do you mind to share your well known middle-of-the road affordable builder?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We used Great Falls Construction for a custom build in Great Falls and had a great experience with them. I know they build houses in McLean as well. We also interviewed Sugar Oak and looked at several of their houses. We felt good about them as well and have gotten good feedback from others on both builders.

Gulick Group built quite a few of the houses in the reserve and is also doing custom builds in McLean / Great Falls now, although I would think of them as more semi-custom than true custom. They have a couple of house models that they will try to customize to suit your needs/preferences. The house models are nice, but they have built a ton of them all over Great Falls + McLean, so they aren't really that unique.

To the PP who is looking for 5000-6000 sq ft with a $900K construction budget, I think that will be difficult. We interviewed 6-7 builders before starting our project and the cost range was from $200-$325/sq ft for construction costs only (excluding lot, site prep, landscaping, architecture, A/V, etc.). Semi-custom was closer to $200/sq ft, high-end custom was $300-$325/sq ft. If you are looking for high-end custom, I think $1.5M would be a good budget for 5,000 sq ft. You want to be sure you have some cushion in the construction budget and aren't just barely making it work or you will have far too many tradeoffs in construction and the process will be very stressful.

NP. Let me see if I got the math right... for 5000 sq ft, using lower amount, it will cost $1M just for the construction cost? Then add $800K for lot cost and maybe $200K site prep & misc. That's $2M all in. If we held the house for 10 years, I wonder how much it would appreciate. Or most of $2M a sunk cost for living in McLean in a new build?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used Great Falls Construction for a custom build in Great Falls and had a great experience with them. I know they build houses in McLean as well. We also interviewed Sugar Oak and looked at several of their houses. We felt good about them as well and have gotten good feedback from others on both builders.

Gulick Group built quite a few of the houses in the reserve and is also doing custom builds in McLean / Great Falls now, although I would think of them as more semi-custom than true custom. They have a couple of house models that they will try to customize to suit your needs/preferences. The house models are nice, but they have built a ton of them all over Great Falls + McLean, so they aren't really that unique.

To the PP who is looking for 5000-6000 sq ft with a $900K construction budget, I think that will be difficult. We interviewed 6-7 builders before starting our project and the cost range was from $200-$325/sq ft for construction costs only (excluding lot, site prep, landscaping, architecture, A/V, etc.). Semi-custom was closer to $200/sq ft, high-end custom was $300-$325/sq ft. If you are looking for high-end custom, I think $1.5M would be a good budget for 5,000 sq ft. You want to be sure you have some cushion in the construction budget and aren't just barely making it work or you will have far too many tradeoffs in construction and the process will be very stressful.

NP. Let me see if I got the math right... for 5000 sq ft, using lower amount, it will cost $1M just for the construction cost? Then add $800K for lot cost and maybe $200K site prep & misc. That's $2M all in. If we held the house for 10 years, I wonder how much it would appreciate. Or most of $2M a sunk cost for living in McLean in a new build?

I don't think you build a custom home these days as an investment. They are too unique and one of a kind to translate into the general marketplace. 10 years from now they will feel dated and have a lot of new houses to compete with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You clearly have no idea how a home is built by $100/sqft builders, and certainly not $200/sqft builders.

Well, enlighten us. Is their 5/8 drywall better? Concrete? Nails? Lumber?

LOL!

Yes as a matter of fact. Cheaper builders can use lower quality drywall, sometimes even cheaper regional brands. Higher end builders will use more expensive brands like Gold Bond and Certainteed because their labor is higher and the lower defect/joint/rework rate makes it worth while to use high quality drywall. And yes all Concrete pours are not the same - while a builder may not pay for a higher PSI concrete, the better subs will dig deeper footers, and their forms won't be as or contain waves. If the fake brick texture will be left exposed, better subs will make sure the pattern stays even without breaks. Better builders will use screws instead of nails for the sub floor, and a pre-coated lumber such as the ZIP system rather than plain bare OSB lumber. I could go on, but I am not an expert on house construction; I am sure someone from a higher end builder can chime in and correct anything I've said wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had good experiences with NDI. You do need lots of upgrades from their basic model though.

You build with NDI in Pimmit Hills, not McLean, unless you're on a shoestring budget.

Newsflash: there are tons of NDI in McLean. Most people ARE on a shoestring budget. It's not just Saudi princes, you know.

I can't see why anyone who pays a minimum of $700K for a 1/4 acre lot in McLean putting up a $500K NDI or Classic Home box.... You will never
get you initial investment back....especially in the expensive locales.

Most people who custom build will at least have a $1m minimum construction budget for a lot aquisiton price of $700K. Been there..done that.

a 800k lot + 400k NDI home can sell for 1.5-1.6 easily and they sell instantly

a 800k lot + 800k home can sell for 2.5 but it's gonna sit there for a long time and will run you another 200-300k capital cost

If you build 800k lot + 400k with NDI, there is no way you can sell 1.5-1.6m even in McLean. A 400k NDI house even without site work cost consideration (which is close to 100k) is a very very basic house.

NDI can build you a shell for 200k, plus another 200k in reno, which is already better than most of the 1.4-1.6 dated home you see on the market

Just curious...do you work for NDI?

no, i dont, im just telling you guys the real cost of construction
ive built many houses with no name korean/chinese builders in the area
when you pay 100k+ for lot prep and 800k+ for construction
the real cost is probably only 30k+ for lot prep and 500k tops for construction, everyone out there, from NDI to w/e high-end builders your thinking of, are ripping you big time

What is your suggestion? Do you prefer to go with high-end builders or lower-end builders? Are the most of materials from China? Besides NDI, which builder you know is good with price and quality?

I built my home with a well known middle-of-the-road affordable builder. I would caution against doing what the PP has done unless you've done it before. He has built many homes and is familiar with the process and the associated costs. Unless you are experienced at doing something, let the experienced people handle it. Builders like NDI offer a competitive price - if their profit margins are abnormal, they would not be competitive on price. Remember, these are businesses that are run to make money, don't be upset that people are making money off of you.

Direct answers to your question: high-end vs lower-end is depended on the buyer. Are you looking to pay $100/sqft, $150/sqft, or over $200/sqft. In my experience, the higher end builders charging over $200/sqft earn better margins, but they work more, take on more risk, and the homes are more unique in design. Some of the building materials can be from China, but it would be very specific, like the granite is likely originally sourced from China, but polished, and cut by a local shop for installation. The hardwood floors could also be from China. Of course many of the fixtures could be. But the framing lumber, brick/stone, concrete, trusses, floor boards, drywall, wiring, plumbing, AC, etc, are most likely not from China.

Thanks! It is very helpful. Do you mind to share your well known middle-of-the road affordable builder?

PP here. I would rather not give out the name since 1) the company has changed dramatically and I am no longer familiar with how good their building process is so I can no longer recommend them, and 2) there's already plenty of very good recommendations on the thread and you wouldn't miss this one. The company builds in the $100-$125 per-finished-sqft range not including finished basement - finishing the basement would pull the per-finished-sqft cost down below $100. For this price the company does a commendable job building the house itself, but was sub par in terms of exterior and interior design. We knew this going in, and felt it was more important to have a solid house, than a cheaply built trendy looking house. One of their homes sold for 3.5M so they are capable of building some fairly large homes of >10,000 sqft.

I really like James McDonald's designs and if I were to do it all over again, I would perhaps consult with him and see if he works with more budget oriented builders. He can make a simple house look well proportioned and tasteful. You can keep the interior trim and fixtures simple to fit within a budget, and do renovation projects in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes as a matter of fact. Cheaper builders can use lower quality drywall, sometimes even cheaper regional brands. Higher end builders will use more expensive brands like Gold Bond and Certainteed because their labor is higher and the lower defect/joint/rework rate makes it worth while to use high quality drywall. And yes all Concrete pours are not the same - while a builder may not pay for a higher PSI concrete, the better subs will dig deeper footers, and their forms won't be as or contain waves. If the fake brick texture will be left exposed, better subs will make sure the pattern stays even without breaks. Better builders will use screws instead of nails for the sub floor, and a pre-coated lumber such as the ZIP system rather than plain bare OSB lumber. I could go on, but I am not an expert on house construction; I am sure someone from a higher end builder can chime in and correct anything I've said wrong.

You can specify all the requirements in the spec sheet if you'd like.

And also, to the previous poster, it doesn't cost $200K to do the site prep in general. Please ask for a few quotes. There are a few companies which specialize in demolition and site work. Please don't take the numbers quoted here as given. Back in 2014, the quote we received was around $30K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used Great Falls Construction for a custom build in Great Falls and had a great experience with them. I know they build houses in McLean as well. We also interviewed Sugar Oak and looked at several of their houses. We felt good about them as well and have gotten good feedback from others on both builders.

Gulick Group built quite a few of the houses in the reserve and is also doing custom builds in McLean / Great Falls now, although I would think of them as more semi-custom than true custom. They have a couple of house models that they will try to customize to suit your needs/preferences. The house models are nice, but they have built a ton of them all over Great Falls + McLean, so they aren't really that unique.

To the PP who is looking for 5000-6000 sq ft with a $900K construction budget, I think that will be difficult. We interviewed 6-7 builders before starting our project and the cost range was from $200-$325/sq ft for construction costs only (excluding lot, site prep, landscaping, architecture, A/V, etc.). Semi-custom was closer to $200/sq ft, high-end custom was $300-$325/sq ft. If you are looking for high-end custom, I think $1.5M would be a good budget for 5,000 sq ft. You want to be sure you have some cushion in the construction budget and aren't just barely making it work or you will have far too many tradeoffs in construction and the process will be very stressful.

NP. Let me see if I got the math right... for 5000 sq ft, using lower amount, it will cost $1M just for the construction cost? Then add $800K for lot cost and maybe $200K site prep & misc. That's $2M all in. If we held the house for 10 years, I wonder how much it would appreciate. Or most of $2M a sunk cost for living in McLean in a new build?

I don't think you build a custom home these days as an investment. They are too unique and one of a kind to translate into the general marketplace. 10 years from now they will feel dated and have a lot of new houses to compete with.

Just exercise caution and don't "build your dream". Look through existing plans, drive around to find houses you like, and say "I want something like that". Look at the homes in Woodlea Mill, which were built over 20 years ago and have aged far better in their appearance than any spec homes in large suburban developments. They still look fantastic. Some of the interior trim can use an update, but it's very very minor stuff. That said, $2M in McLean for a 5000sqft home sounds high and is going to lose out to cheaper built competition that boasts more sqft for the money. I feel you have to hit the 6000sqft threshold for a multi-million dollar house to be taken seriously in McLean. I remember seeing this one BEAUTIFULLY constructed home, like the entire exterior was built with cedar, fell absolutely in love with it, but knew that it wouldn't sell well in McLean because it was only about 4000sqft.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes as a matter of fact. Cheaper builders can use lower quality drywall, sometimes even cheaper regional brands. Higher end builders will use more expensive brands like Gold Bond and Certainteed because their labor is higher and the lower defect/joint/rework rate makes it worth while to use high quality drywall. And yes all Concrete pours are not the same - while a builder may not pay for a higher PSI concrete, the better subs will dig deeper footers, and their forms won't be as or contain waves. If the fake brick texture will be left exposed, better subs will make sure the pattern stays even without breaks. Better builders will use screws instead of nails for the sub floor, and a pre-coated lumber such as the ZIP system rather than plain bare OSB lumber. I could go on, but I am not an expert on house construction; I am sure someone from a higher end builder can chime in and correct anything I've said wrong.

You can specify all the requirements in the spec sheet if you'd like.

And also, to the previous poster, it doesn't cost $200K to do the site prep in general. Please ask for a few quotes. There are a few companies which specialize in demolition and site work. Please don't take the numbers quoted here as given. Back in 2014, the quote we received was around $30K.

That's ridiculous, your average lay person is not going to know enough about home building to begin asking for these types of requirements. This is why you would pay more for a higher end builder, because they are already using some of the better building materials and methods.

Site-prep depends on whether there is an existing home to tear down (about $20k for a 50s/60s split level or small colonial), whether you need a septic system ($30-$40k), the size of the area within the "Limit of Disturbance" line (typically $10-15k for a McMansion sized home), and complexity of the final grade (retaining walls, water management features, and etc). $200k would be an extremely complicated site - for example if you are building a house on a lot with severe slope and need two tiered retaining walls of over 6-ft high each and totalling over 200 linear feet of wall plus railing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes as a matter of fact. Cheaper builders can use lower quality drywall, sometimes even cheaper regional brands. Higher end builders will use more expensive brands like Gold Bond and Certainteed because their labor is higher and the lower defect/joint/rework rate makes it worth while to use high quality drywall. And yes all Concrete pours are not the same - while a builder may not pay for a higher PSI concrete, the better subs will dig deeper footers, and their forms won't be as or contain waves. If the fake brick texture will be left exposed, better subs will make sure the pattern stays even without breaks. Better builders will use screws instead of nails for the sub floor, and a pre-coated lumber such as the ZIP system rather than plain bare OSB lumber. I could go on, but I am not an expert on house construction; I am sure someone from a higher end builder can chime in and correct anything I've said wrong.

You can specify all the requirements in the spec sheet if you'd like.

And also, to the previous poster, it doesn't cost $200K to do the site prep in general. Please ask for a few quotes. There are a few companies which specialize in demolition and site work. Please don't take the numbers quoted here as given. Back in 2014, the quote we received was around $30K.

That's ridiculous, your average lay person is not going to know enough about home building to begin asking for these types of requirements. This is why you would pay more for a higher end builder, because they are already using some of the better building materials and methods.

Site-prep depends on whether there is an existing home to tear down (about $20k for a 50s/60s split level or small colonial), whether you need a septic system ($30-$40k), the size of the area within the "Limit of Disturbance" line (typically $10-15k for a McMansion sized home), and complexity of the final grade (retaining walls, water management features, and etc). $200k would be an extremely complicated site - for example if you are building a house on a lot with severe slope and need two tiered retaining walls of over 6-ft high each and totalling over 200 linear feet of wall plus railing.

I used a small, high end builder for our custom home. The lot was very basic with an alternative septic system ($25K) and we had to remove the old home and seal off the well. The lot was easy to work with and we had to remove a few aging trees, etc. Our site work cost $125K, but that included EVERYTHING not related to the building construction itself, including house grading/arch plans, county fees, construction entrance, tree removal, old home and outbuildings removal, water lateral, driveway, silt fences, surveys, etc, etc. We then spent about $75K on landscaping after moving in. The important point is to determine specific "items" is the PP referring to when they are talking about the $200K cost. It this includes EVERYTHING other than the building construction itself, then this would not be a stretch at all. There are grey areas when one talks "site prep" costs.....it could be everything from grading plans, surveys, wash trucks, etc, etc.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used Great Falls Construction for a custom build in Great Falls and had a great experience with them. I know they build houses in McLean as well. We also interviewed Sugar Oak and looked at several of their houses. We felt good about them as well and have gotten good feedback from others on both builders.

Gulick Group built quite a few of the houses in the reserve and is also doing custom builds in McLean / Great Falls now, although I would think of them as more semi-custom than true custom. They have a couple of house models that they will try to customize to suit your needs/preferences. The house models are nice, but they have built a ton of them all over Great Falls + McLean, so they aren't really that unique.

To the PP who is looking for 5000-6000 sq ft with a $900K construction budget, I think that will be difficult. We interviewed 6-7 builders before starting our project and the cost range was from $200-$325/sq ft for construction costs only (excluding lot, site prep, landscaping, architecture, A/V, etc.). Semi-custom was closer to $200/sq ft, high-end custom was $300-$325/sq ft. If you are looking for high-end custom, I think $1.5M would be a good budget for 5,000 sq ft. You want to be sure you have some cushion in the construction budget and aren't just barely making it work or you will have far too many tradeoffs in construction and the process will be very stressful.

NP. Let me see if I got the math right... for 5000 sq ft, using lower amount, it will cost $1M just for the construction cost? Then add $800K for lot cost and maybe $200K site prep & misc. That's $2M all in. If we held the house for 10 years, I wonder how much it would appreciate. Or most of $2M a sunk cost for living in McLean in a new build?

I think those numbers look about right if you are going the semi-custom route (e.g., Gulick). The site prep figure could be a little lower depending on the complexity of the site and whether you need a well, septic, retaining walls, etc. Note that this only includes basic landscaping. If you are going to plant a lot of trees, do a lot of hardscaping, or put a pool in, the landscaping budget can get big very fast. Depending on the lot size, you could easily spend $200-300K or more in landscaping. This also doesn't include architecture fees. If you go the semi-custom route, you can modify their plans, so architecture costs won't be bad. If you want to start from scratch and go full custom, expect $50-100K in architecture costs.

I really enjoyed the custom build process and would do it again if I had the opportunity. However, I think it is difficult to think of it as a good investment. If you are looking for appreciation / ROI, you would be much better off trying to find a deal on an existing home that suits your needs. If you are thinking about going the semi-custom route anyway, there are likely many homes with a similar floor plan available for sale in Great Falls and McLean. The upside of a custom home is that you get everything the way you want it. The downside is that you are at a significant cost disadvantage relative to existing construction, particularly houses in luxury spec communities like Gulick's that are built using economies of scale.